Adrenaline Driven Adventures made its own motocross track for serious riders to train

Tim Harty, The Business Times

For anyone in the Grand Junction area serious about motocross training, it’s long been the case that they had to drive a long way to access a legitimate motocross track.

Adrenaline Driven Adventures co-owner Lewis Baker pointed with one hand to the east and the other hand to the west and said, “250 miles,” meaning it was either a trip to Denver or Salt Lake City for such amenities.

In short order, he’ll be able to stand outside the Adrenaline Driven Adventures building and throw a rock over a fence and hit a motocross track. That’s because the track he started developing several years ago is about to open. And qualified hometown talent can stay home to train there for the cost of a membership in the Adrenaline Driven MX Club.

“We’ve made Grand Junction’s first training facility right out back of our shop here,” Baker said, “to be able to give elite riders and kids of all ages, riders of all ages, a place to actually have a safe training facility that you can count on the jumps being groomed, you can count on the track being maintained.

“So, you’re not having to go out to the desert and deal with riding in unsafe conditions, having to deal with desert gypsies, having to deal with people that don’t necessarily want the same thing that we do, to be able to become that elite rider.”

As of Feb. 6, Baker said he was awaiting approval from a city review of paperwork, such as site plans, and it likely would take two to four weeks.

Once he has the approval, he’ll open the gates, but this isn’t a track for the general public. It’s a private, purpose-driven facility, and memberships will go to people who are serious about training.

“We are a MX training facility, so you have to sign up for our MX Club and be an MX Club member,” Baker said. “And whether that’s a daily club member or a monthly club member or a yearly club member, you still have to fill out our packet and kind of answer the questions to see what your expectations are, what you’re wanting out of our training facility, right? And that’s where we’re at, is where we want to help people that actually want to advance, rather than just people wanting to go ride. … We want people that are actually trying to improve their skills to be able to become that next great motocross racer. ”

Baker said Adrenaline Driven Adventures already has more than 100 riders signed up.

That’s pretty clear proof of the need he said existed for the track. And the fact it’s about to open is a testament to the community that rallied behind Baker and his project once they saw what he was trying to do.

“I started this thing four or five years ago, and I built a little track out back that was just nothing really big. You know what I mean?” he said. 

“And over the last couple years, we’ve just had more and more people reach out, saying, ‘Hey, are you guys willing to improve the track? We’d really like to be able to train here,’ and things like that.”

Then came some serious help, as Baker rattled off the names of Grand Junction businesses such as: Riverbend Machinery and Equipment Share, which both donated use of equipment; T3 Services, which provided a water truck; Austin Civil Group, which “did all of the engineering for us for free”; and Snob Productions, which provided free acoustic sound testing.

“Like I said, the entire community’s rallying behind us, ‘cause they see the need of such an amazing track,” Baker said. “It’s been simply an amazing trip, man. Like, never in my life did I think that all of these pieces, these puzzles would fall into place like I’ve had it.”

And the craziest piece that fell into place came from outside the Grand Valley in the form of track designer Brad Schacht.

“He’s one of the best MX track builders in America,” Baker said “He’s the guy that makes all of the Supercross and Monster Energy Supercross and Motocross tracks. He used to do all those guys’ tracks.

“So, that’s who came out and built my track.”

And a friend of Baker’s from South Carolina made it possible when he happened to bring Schacht to Adrenaline Driven Adventures last year.

“He had Brad come out in September or October just as friends and went on a side by side ride with us,” Baker said. “And Brad was like, “Hey, I see the track back there,’ kind of deal, said if I ever needed help, he’d help me.

“So, I reached out to him, and he did it. He truly wants to see this community thrive and be able to have that training facility. He was gracious enough to be able to do it for a really good price for me and be able to come over and help our community be able to have one of the best motocross training facilities in all the country.”

To clarify what that modest track of a few years back has become, Baker said, “It’s an actual track built to scale for motocross and supercross. And it’s not just a motocross track, it’s not just a supercross, it’s a super motocross track. So, we combined both of the styles of riding into one track. 

“That’s why our track is a training facility where other tracks are just a motocross track and just a supercross track. Ours is a super motocross track, so you’re gonna have those perfectly set jumps at 65 feet on doubles or triples. You’re gonna have those perfectly, you know, 22-foot gaps. You’re gonna have those perfect set gaps that are perfect for supercross and for motocross. So he built them very specifically for those exact dimensions.”

For more information about Adrenaline Driven Adventures and its motocross track:

• Stop at the store at 750 1/4 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction.
• Go online at www.adacgj.com.
• Call 970-623-3888.

Quality coaches for more than motocross

Adrenaline Driven Adventures’ resident motocross instructors are co-owner Lewis Baker and Shane Willms. Both are USMCA certified dirt bike coaches, and Baker said, “We are the only training facility on the Western Slope with USMCA certified dirt bike coaches.”

Both emphasized Adrenaline Driven Adventures offers more than motocross classes, as Willms said, “I feel like the average moto academy or facility is strictly racing, but (Baker’s) background is a lot of trail riding. So, basically we’re both really good at beginners and kids, but his background’s trail riding, mine’s more racing. And then recently we kind of got into like the hill-climbing type of thing.

“So, with the track, us being different than anybody else is we can go out and take you to the Uncompahgre and work on trail training, or I can run you up the Bookcliffs and do hill-climb stuff. That’s kind of what separates us from the normal organization, because we have 4 different mountain ranges that we can use if someone’s not a set racer or that type of riding.”

Baker added their ability to teach beginners sets them apart, too.

“For beginners where they’ve never used a clutch, they’ve never touched a throttle before, they’ve never shifted a gear before, we can get those kids riding proficiently in three hours,” Baker said. “I guarantee it.”

One more dimension of the business

Adding the motocross track stands to bring more customers to Adrenaline Driven Adventures for all of the other things it offers, as Baker said, “It ties everything together, because we’re a full-service shop, too.

“So whether you need grips or gloves or goggles, helmets, accessories, you need your oil changed, you need stuff worked on on your bike, we can do that as well.”